Layering

Visual hierarchy

Elements that seem to jump off the page at the reader will draw the reader’s immediate attention. They’ll think that those are the most important things on the map, because they notice them first.

Give the most visual emphasis to the information that you want someone to notice relatively quickly and remember long after they stop looking at your map. First define the intellectual hierarchy of the map: what is the map about, who are the main characters, who are supporting characters, and what’s background or just part of the set? Then make the visual hierarchy of your map communicate this intellectual hierarchy. You want to develop the illusion of depth on your map with the main characters in the foreground.

If you give reference features and other supportive elements too much emphasis, the reader will have to work harder to figure out what it is important and what they should background. Essentially, this requires them to use working memory to select some stimuli and ignore others, because you do not do this for them by design.

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Layering layers

When you organize map elements as layers, groups of elements will be drawn on top or below other groups, and these vertical interactions convey meaning. If you draw your rivers over your roads, you are telling people that your roads have washouts.

Layer map elements in ways that resemble real-world situations or linguistic phrases. For example, roads cross over rivers, not under them, unless your tires really do get wet at that crossing.

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